There are always challenges in life, and Kallen Miyataki takes pride in helping his players on the UH-Hilo baseball team assess the situation and find an answer Billy Kenoi-style.
The late former mayor is famous for his inspirational Yoda-like slogan, “No such thing as no can. Only how can. Obstacle? Find a way to go over, around, or through.”
Want to talk about challenges? Reach into a hat and pick one. There are so many for the Vulcans, the Little Engine That Could.
How about Hilo’s famous weather? Not glorious sunshine, mind you. But the rain, the constant cats and dogs version.
So Miyataki, fisherman patient by nature, waits his turn at the UHH Gym and has his pitchers throw from a flat surface at 9 p.m. to get their work in.
The biggest issue for the world is the coronavirus pandemic, which has crippled all levels of sports. What would you do, Uncle Billy? Find a way.
The Vulcans have come up with the best possible scenario, a bubble situation with Hawaii Pacific, 24 games or 12 doubleheaders, giving a whole new meaning to Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks’ famous line, “Let’s play two.”
The Vulcans (4-8 last year) open at UH-Manoa (5-2) on Friday with a four-game series and fly out in the morning.
“It’s been terrible as far as COVID and the rain,” Miyataki said. “You can’t control those things but can talk about life skills, something every coach preaches. You learn life skills through sport. You’re going to go through a lot in life and have to find a way to adjust.
“The kids are hungry. Last year, the Manoa series set the tone for us. Azusa Pacific mentioned to me that we were a totally different team than what they saw in the past. This year should be fun.”
For one thing, their most heralded hitter, sophomore Kobie Russell, a 17th round draft pick in 2017 out of Waipahu High, has fixed a problem after hitting just .120 in 25 at-bats.
Miyataki recommended getting his eyes checked, and it turned out that Russell had trouble with perception, so we’ll see how much better he hits with the enhanced ability to track movement and depth on breaking balls.
Opposing teams read UHH’s website, and pitchers don’t feed him any fastballs. But that’s a secondary concern for Miyataki, whose primary goal is self-improvement in the classroom. He’s talked to Russell about getting a degree, and if a shot at pro ball happens then that’s a bonus.
The Vulcans are the ultimate underdog. They have little scholarship money, and whatever they offer some other PacWest team can offer much more.
Then there are the Rainbows, who hold every conceivable advantage. The biggest attraction is they play on TV, so parents, friends, and future employers can watch them play.
So Miyataki has to look for hidden gems and keep polishing them and teach a hitting approach that works for them. Mostly, it’s adjust with two strikes, battle like crazy and stay within yourself. That’s an overused baseball phrase, but it works when the underdog follows Uncle Billy’s advice.
Here’s an example: the vastly overlooked 1988 Dodgers weren’t supposed to beat the New York Mets in the NL championship or the Oakland A’s in the World Series.
But they did. How you ask? Because they had an inspirational leader in Tommy Lasorda, who believed in his players and got them to believe in themselves and play for each other.
Miyataki is doing the same thing with his Vulcans. His approach is more local style than anything else.
“We just plug away and do with what we have,” he said.
Under Miyataki’s tenure, there is no better player who exemplifies what being a Little Engine Vulcan is all about than sophomore shortstop Casey Yamauchi.
The 2018 Waiakea graduate is listed at 5 feet 9 and 155 pounds. He looks smaller but one thing that can’t be measured is his heart. He’ll battle down to the last strike.
As a freshman, he hit .320 and last season struggled a bit and hit .234 but more telling was his one strikeout in 50 at-bats.
In Little Engine style, Yamauchi will keep pulling for every inch. The book, Little Engine That Could, was written with him in mind.
“When you talk about athletic ability, he has that extra edge,” Miyataki said. “He’s a student of the game. He’s always been small throughout his career. But he’s found a way to overachieve. That’s a credit to his parents (Wayne and Agnes), and past coaches.
“He’s a wonderful kid to coach. As for his hitting skills, he’s one of our better hitters. He gives all those little kids a chance. They think, ‘If he’s small and he does it. Maybe I can, too.’ He shows that you don’t have to be 6-5 or 6-3.”
Yamauchi will hit No. 2 behind right fielder Chris Aubort, who batted .371 last season.
Russell or catchers Jaryn Kanbara or Teppei Fukuda, from Japan, will hit third.
Third baseman Lucas Sakay, who’s from Brazil, is stuck in his country due to COVID travel issues. But he’ll likely be back in 2022.
Miyataki enjoys the diversity of his roster. In another life lesson moment, he figures if the Vulcans can learn to get along with others from different parts of the world, it’ll be an easy transition to life when they find a job.
Ryan Cho, a 6-2 freshman from San Diego, will get the nod at first base. He can pick it at first base and had one error in 36 chances. He’s smart, too, a 3.37 GPA in biology.
Junior second baseman Lawson Faria, and outfielders John Bicos, a senior, and Rustin Ho, a junior, will fill out the bottom of the lineup.
Miyataki appreciates when the bottom third gets on base because eventually it’s Casey at bat and the Vulcans shift into Billy Kenoi mode: No such thing as no can. Only how can.